The Pfister Hotel to Host October Gallery Night

The Pfister Hotel will be showcasing a gallery from 5-9pm, Friday, Oct. 21, 2011, as part of Gallery Night and Day, an art event put on by the Historic Third Ward Association and the East Town Association.

Last month, The Pfister Hotel’s Artist in Residence, Shelby Keefe, began her mission to create a painting a day for 30 straight days. Using her own photos and images from the public as inspiration, Keefe has focused her pieces on people in local, urban landscapes.

At the start of the 30 days, Keefe put a call out to the public to send her photos to be considered for the project. She received many submissions and chose two photos from the public as inspiration for paintings. For those she chose to paint, the person who submitted the photo will receive a digital print of the finished piece as a keepsake.

Keefe will complete the final of the 30 paintings today. The 12” by 12” works, along with several of her other paintings, will be on display during gallery night. The works also will be featured at The Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek, Wisconsin at a show this fall.

“I have really enjoyed this process and am finding great satisfaction in including people in my paintings, which is something I previously have not focused on,” said Keefe. “The project has helped me realize that I need to get more people in my paintings, and even have people be the focus, not just a minor suggestion. This has been huge directional shift for me as an artist, and I look forward to stepping back in to my more ‘normal’ painting life with this new perspective and direction.”

The historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee is in its third year hosting a celebrated artist-in-residence program. Keefe moved into the Pfister’s studio space in April 2011, replacing former Pfister artist Katie Musolff, and will remain at the hotel for one year.

A contemporary impressionistic painter, teacher and performance artist, Keefe was born in Whitewater, Wis., and graduated in 1981 from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. Since retiring from a career in graphic design in 2005, she has been operating her own art studio and exhibition space in Bay View. Her award-winning urban landscape paintings have earned her participation in prestigious national juried shows, plein air painting competitions and arts festivals, as well as garnering commission work for a variety of corporate clients and private collectors.

Gallery-goers are invited to end their evenings with a special reception and live performances from 9-11:30pm at Café Pfister, located inside The Pfister Hotel. At 10pm, Keefe will create a performance art piece using one of her 30 in 30 pieces as inspiration. Local band Chocomontuno will play Latin jazz rock, funk and original tunes throughout the reception. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash bar. All events are open to the public. A complimentary shuttle will transport guests throughout the gallery route over the course of the evening.

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Kate Royal

Shelby Keefe, current resident artist at the Pfister Hotel, has recently completed her outstanding goal of creating 30 paintings in 30 days. A hard working and devoted artist-she worked mainly in oils on her tight 12″ x 12″ series. This wall of art represents ‘The Figure’ in a natural or architectural landscape. Her insightful and painterly handling of each story on canvas takes the viewer away…and places them face to face with an intimate moment in time. She captures the simplified essence of color, light and shadow so eloquently. Her impressionistic style might appear to be minimal; but, there is nothing minimal about her understanding and skillful interpretations. Shelby’s suggestive strokes indicate atmosphere, mood, movement, energy and emotion. Each situation is a reflection of an ordinary moment seen through her extraordinary eyes. The balance of her compositions and the vitality of the light in her works sets her apart from and above most artists of her time. Her creative spirit is fresh, bold, honest and magical. These lyrical paintings demand participation from their audience by forcing the viewer to ‘fill in the blanks’. This allows the art lover to be transformed into a participator…leaving them intimately involved. Thank you, Shelby Keefe, for letting us all be voyeurs and for sharing your visionary voyage. PAINT ON!!!